Luck of St Patrick II
by butterfly collective
Summary: Several years after "Glimmer of Twilight", C.J. wrestles with a student hiding a painful secret and Matt's got his hands full with little Gracie.
1. Chapter 1

A little holiday story for St. Patricks, maybe several chapters long, I hope you enjoy it! It's about several years after Glimmer of Twilight.

* * *

A shimmer of sunlight broke through the clouds as C.J. left her car after parking it and got her briefcase out before heading into the college building that housed the sociology and criminal justice departments at the university.

She had been guest lecturing at the university for the past semester in the late afternoons just after finishing her consulting job with the Department of Justice. She had been hired for the past year to do legal work for them in their division that dealt with exploited women and children. At first she hadn't been sure she should take the job given that Gracie had grown into a young toddler into everything having blossomed since Thanksgiving.

But five minutes on the job and she knew she had made the right decision. The work was often emotionally strenuous and the hours, at times could be long but her schedule for the most part remained flexible, important for a working mother who intended to spend time raising Gracie. Her husband Matt kept his hours flexible and in fact, Gracie was currently spending time with him and Dan while C.J. would be teaching. The place where C.J. kept her office had a day care center which Gracie really enjoyed and she also spent time with her father too. But they also kept the security team when they were back at home on their ranch outside of Houston.

The challenges and risks of both their jobs just mandated that extra expense to keep their family safe. That they had learned already.

C.J. made her way into the building, wearing her jeans and light woolen sweater with her sleeves rolled down. But in a few months she'd be trading them in for maternity clothes because she had discovered that she was pregnant again. Not that it was that surprising because Matt and she had really been working on it the past few months. She looked at her watch, noting she had 20 minutes until class. Then two hours later, she'd be heading to Chris and Dan who were hosting a St. Patrick's Day party at their house less than a mile away from the ranch owned by Matt and C.J.

Chris also had gotten pregnant again, much more easily than the first time and her son, Daniel had grown like a sprout after his surgery to repair a congenital heart defect performed by a surgeon who had played poker with Matt's late father. Rhonda who was staying with Chris and Dan while her husband, Jonathan had been at Quantico for the past two months training for the FBI behavioral sciences program was pregnant and nearing the finish line in a couple of months.

So babies were definitely going around.

Except for some fatigue and occasional morning sickness, C.J. had felt fine. She had a husband who took good care of her making sure she got enough rest and plenty of good food.

The Campus Kitchen had what she needed right now which were a deli sandwich and an iced tea. When she went into get it, she saw the tall young woman with ebony hair hanging down her back with a couple braided strands woven through it.

"Elena…."

The young woman turned around and smiled widely when she saw her. She had been wearing faded jeans and a cotton print blouse. Elena had enrolled in the university after passing her GED and lived in the dorms.

"C.J…I was looking for you earlier."

The clip of the young woman's accent made C.J. smile thinking about how the woman had made a life for herself since she'd been in the country. Soon she would have her citizenship papers in hand. When she wasn't in school on a scholarship, she volunteered at the Houston Women's Center with Fran, work that she enjoyed very much.

"I actually caught light traffic from the office," C.J. said, "I have this class and then I'm heading to Chris and Dan's for a party…You're invited."

Elena tilted her head as she considered it.

"Okay…I'll bring some tapas that my roommate taught me how to make...they're really good."

"Sounds great…I'll see you there."

Elena paused.

"Is that girl…Trina still in your class?"

C.J. nodded.

"She's one of my brightest," she said, "She's a bit quiet at times but she's very smart, a great writer."

"Well she's in my biology class and she was crying after class," Elena said, "I tried to talk to her but she had left very quickly after lab."

C.J. frowned.

"I'll guess I'll see what's going on," she said, "She's been quiet the last couple of classes."

Elena smiled as she grabbed some salad and cola and then went to the register after saying goodbye. C.J. just watched her go, marveling at her energy, she had really gotten into her new life in Texas.

She grabbed her food and after paying for it, headed to her classroom, thinking about her lesson plan in her head.

* * *

Matt sank onto the couch of his office, while Gracie lay passed out asleep on his lap. She had wiped him out with all of her moving around, exploring every corner of the office and then when he caught up with her, sitting on the floor in her romper suit giggling at him and pointing her finger at him. Her dark hair tousled and her eyes lively, as she moved away from him again.

His little girl had inherited some quick moves from someone.

Being a father was the best job that he had ever held even if he could be undone by a toddler. He had been office bound proofing a security manual for a new system that he and Dan had designed and C.J. had dropped off Gracie here before heading to teach at the university. She had said she would meet them later at Chris' party after she had finished her teaching stint.

He had reminded her to make sure she got something to eat before class because she hadn't been eating much in the mornings.

"I'll be fine," she said before kissing him goodbye, "See you later."

And she had left him with Gracie who had wanted to play with everything in his office. Dan had walked in from a conference call and had seen Matt on the floor trying to keep up with his daughter.

"I see she's got you under her thumb," Dan said, "She's going to wear you out before she turns five."

Matt smiled.

"She'll have a brother or sister to keep her busy in six months."

Dan chuckled.

"She's going to give you some grey hairs I can tell," he said, "Just wait until she starts dating."

Matt sighed.

"I haven't even thought about that," he said, "I'm going to have to warn her about guys like her daddy."

Dan shrugged.

"You wound up all right once you got your priorities straightened out and you're a great father."

Matt reflected on the last year, which had been filled with joy intermixed with fearful moments. Still, he wouldn't trade that time for anything, nor his daughter.

"Well sometimes I wish my daddy had known, and other times I feel like he's watching from someplace."

"Yeah I felt the same way with Daniel and now the next one on the way," Dan said, "It's a great time right now for both of us."

Matt couldn't agree more. Life had thrown some tough challenges at him and his wife that had nearly broken them but they'd made it through together and had grown stronger. Now life had been settling down with C.J. fitting in a teaching job with her other work before going on another maternity leave before their baby was due…and the new prototype security system would be released soon.

Dan had left him again to take another call and he chased Gracie around and let her chase him, marveling at her quickness. Soon enough she'd be walking and then running and climbing. Time passed so quickly with the young, he remembered as if were yesterday, the moment she came into the world.

Back when he'd held this squirming newborn in his arms while Cattle Annie who had delivered her tended to his wife…and then taking both of them home from the hospital into their house.

Now he had a sleeping daughter on his lap which meant he didn't want to disturb her so he just closed his eyes and soon he nodded off as well.

* * *

C.J. had finished teaching her class and the students began to file out after she had given out the latest homework assignment to write a paper. She had meant to talk to Trina because during the past half hour when they took a quiz, she had read an assignment she had turned in and something had prickled at the back of her neck.

Something familiar…

She had called Matt on her cell phone telling him she was getting ready to leave for Chris' house but had gotten his voice mail so she just left a message for him. Then she slipped her phone back in her purse and got ready to grab her things.

But while doing that she looked up and noticed that Trina hadn't left her seat. She sat there looking in front of her but C.J. didn't know if she even saw her. Seemingly focused on something else…or someplace else.

"Trina…I'm getting ready to leave now…would you like to walk out with me?"

The tall student with a curvy build and jet black hair just looked at her, not moving and not responding.

"Would you like me to stay and talk to you here," C.J. said, "I read your paper…is everything okay?"

When Trina looked at her finally, C.J. could see that something was not okay because the girl had pulled out a switchblade and extended it.

"Trina, what's going on here?"

The girl looked up at her, and C.J. saw fear mixed with other emotions that she knew very well from her own life.

She started to step towards her but suddenly Trina raised the knife to her own throat.

"Don't come any closer or I'm going to do it…?"

C.J. put up her hands.

"What's wrong Trina…why you carrying that knife and why are you threatening to hurt yourself?"

Trina just shook her head.

"I don't want to hurt myself…I want to die."

C.J. just looked at her, her eyes widening, her mind working quickly to decide what to do.


	2. Chapter 2

C.J. just looked at the distraught young woman in front of her, and she stopped in her tracks. Trina glared at her, still holding onto the knife.

"I'm just going to put my things down okay and then we can talk…"

A dark pair of eyes flirted around the room, Trina's mouth quivered.

"I don't want to talk anymore," she said, "I just want it to be over."

C.J. put her things down and moved closer to her slowly, relying on all of her experience dealing with women in crisis. She sensed that something had happened or been happening to Trina and that somehow she had gotten pushed to the breaking point.

She knew the feeling herself.

But she definitely couldn't leave her like this, even though Trina had warned her away. She didn't know how serious her student had been about hurting herself and she had to find out.

"You are calling the police?"

C.J. shook her head.

"If you tell me you won't hurt yourself, I won't but I can't let you do that, you do know that don't you?"

Grudgingly the woman nodded and her grip on the knife relaxed slightly.

"Trina…why are you doing this to yourself," C.J. asked, "What's going on here?"

"I can't tell you…I can't talk to anyone," Trina said, "No one will listen and who would understand anyway?"

C.J. sighed.

"I don't know if I can…but if you want to talk about it, I'll listen."

Trina looked skeptical and C.J. understood that too.

"You couldn't understand," Trina said, "Look at you, the way you're dressed…how could you understand?"

C.J. smiled at her, her mind still thinking fast…searching for the right words to say that wouldn't set Trina off on a self-destructive path.

"Just tell me and I'll listen to you…I might not be able to understand what you're going through but I'm not going to judge you for it, or for what you to me."

Trina's grip on the knife tightened again.

"How can you say that…your boyfriend didn't try to force you to turn tricks with a bunch of creeps."

If C.J. felt shocked by her words and at this point little shocked her, she learned not to show it.

"Is that what your boyfriend did Trina?"

She didn't get much of a response from the student at first but then, she slowly nodded.

"Are you still living with him?"

Trina shook her head.

"I left him but he still calls me…says I owe him and I told him to fuck off but he won't leave me alone."

C.J. sighed, going through her mental list because she knew now at this point in her life, she could help the woman in front of her. But she had to deal with the knife, because she knew that right now, if Trina felt threatened she'd use it on C.J. or more likely herself. The way she held onto it right now it appeared to be the only protection she had that wouldn't let her down. What she needed was a different safety net.

"Do you have a safe place to go?"

Trina sighed.

"There's no safe place from him."

C.J. rubbed her forehead…the tension building there. She didn't feel fear but she didn't feel secure that Trina wouldn't hurt herself.

"Trina…I can make some calls and find you a place to go, even to stay as long as you need," she said, "and I can make a couple other calls to help you get a temporary restraining order against your boyfriend."

A trace of something that looked like hope started to transform Trina's face but then the fear returned and her body tensed, the knife started moving closer to her throat. C.J. thought it might be a defense action, not a conscious movement but either way she had to proceed carefully.

"Why…what can you do…look at you…you've had an easy life…you got a great job…great clothes and I bet you're married to some rich guy with a nice house."

C.J. suppressed a smile because some of it was true. But she had her own scars and only some of them were visible to the rest of the world.

"Maybe you'd think that just by looking at me Trina but you'd be wrong about part of it…I love my job, and I like teaching too. I'm married to a great man, my best friend and I live in a nice house we fixed up together before the wedding."

Trina blew some air out between her pursed lips and her eyes flashed.

"See…what'd I say?"

C.J. paused and flipped a lock of hair out of her face, with one of her scarred hands.

"I had a really great life a few years ago working with the man who's my husband now…helping people with our investigative firm and I thought I had almost everything that I'd ever want and as for the rest…that I'd get it if I worked hard enough and when the time was right."

Trina tilted her head and looked skeptical. C.J. extended her hands, an action that nearly made Trina pull the knife closer again.

"They're empty Trina…I just wanted you to see them."

And the woman did peer at them and her eyes widened slightly at the sight of the silvery web of lines that wove their way around C.J.'s fingers and into her palms.

"How'd you get those scars?"

C.J. didn't hesitate, now was definitely not the time to do so.

"I got them when I pushed them through a glass window."

The night had been dark, the air frigid and she felt keenly the slice of the glass through her skin, as she forced her way through the window.

"Why'd you do that?"

C.J. looked at them for a moment, remembering what they had looked like before she had committed that desperate act. Another slightly thicker scar snaked around her wrist where surgery had been performed to repair her broken wrist that hadn't healed properly the first time.

"I had to escape, the window stood between imprisonment and my freedom."

Trina just looked at her, as if she still hadn't decided if she believed her words and C.J. hardly blamed her for that. Other people had the same reaction when she told her story. After all, on the surface C.J. know she appeared as the woman who appeared to have everything she had ever wanted, a woman who had conquered the world by sheer will. She had become that good at hiding the scars that still were healing inside of her.

"You see…there was this man who stalked me most of my life…I'm still not sure why he did but one night, I left my office building to meet someone and these men ambushed me in the parking lot and knocked me out with some drug and the next thing I knew, I was riding in their car."

"You were kidnapped?"

C.J. nodded.

"We drove and we flew and then drove some more I know now and they took me up to this compound in the mountains and dragged me into it where the man stayed. The first time I saw him, I barely remembered him from years before but his voice…his cologne…then I did."

"Did he…?"

C.J. had heard that question more than any other and seldom did the person asking it finish it. She knew that the crime that she had suffered still bore stigma and she did, as a survivor. But she worked every day to try to change the mindset of those who'd sit and judge.

One person, or one judicial system at a time.

"Yeah he raped me that night…he told me I was his now and I resisted but there was no escape from him and..."

C.J. rubbed her face…because even after this time, parts of her experience still wore like new. But she had caught Trina's attention; her interest even and she knew as long as she did that, her mind would be off harming herself.

"He tore my clothes off and I still tried to escape…I was so determined not to let him force me onto the bed…I didn't even think he'd just do it to me on the hard floor."

"Were you scared?"

C.J. felt her mouth grow dry.

"Yeah I was terrified…I was scared for so long, it never left but the hardest part was that I felt pulled away from myself like I was watching him force my legs apart and jam his arm against my throat and then I wasn't…it hurt, like I was being ripped apart in more than one place."

Trina just sat there, emotions playing out on her own face. C.J. knew that she was thinking and hopefully that there was more than one path for her.

"I was with him for about a month and when he was there, he came to me or I was brought to him every night…then there were times I was drugged and those memories were lost…but not forever."

"You escaped…"

C.J. nodded.

"Yes I did…but I killed a man who stood between me and my own freedom," she said, "I stabbed him with a letter opener…and watched his blood spill out on the floor."

Trina sat there with that for a while, processing it as C.J. fought her instincts to rein in her own memories, but let them flow. If she needed them to reach Trina then it would be worth the remembrance.

* * *

Matt woke up with a start when he felt a weight squirming on his chest and looked up into a daughter with eyes just like his own. He carefully sat up holding onto her as she molded to him, hugging him with her pudgy arms.

"Hi Gracie...I guess we both had a nap."

She giggled at him and he hoisted her up as he rose from the couch because the clock told him it was time to get ready to head on down to Chris and Dan's party. He was to meet C.J. there and when he checked his voice mail, he saw her message to him that she would head on out there after class. He tried to call her back to chat but just got her voice mail and figured she was on her way, telling her that he had called back.

So he went to get Gracie ready for her ride with him, he had become nearly an expert in childcare but it hadn't happened over night. She clung to him as they walked into the kitchenette to seek out some of her favorite snacks.

Dan poked his head in.

"You are heading on out…?"

Matt nodded.

"Yeah as soon as Gracie and I get sorted out…"

"Chris has got the food in the oven but she says there's no rush."

Matt looked at his phone but C.J. hadn't returned his message to her. But then again she could be talking to some students after class before heading out. She had told him more than once that she often got hit with questions about particular topics that she lectured on afterward and she enjoyed talking to her students.

So when he went to get their daughter ready, he figured she would arrive there at about the same time that he and Gracie did.


	3. Chapter 3

Matt headed down the highway to the turnoff that would take him to the rural area where there were some ranches and farms not too far away from a small town. Chris and Dan had bought a house and then moved on out to a spot with enough land for a large garden and a plot for some goats. Chris had grown up in a farm in the Midwest so she knew what she was doing and Dan, a city boy could pick up some skills along the way.

Gracie lay in her car seat behind him and had been quiet most of the trip. He had checked his phone but hadn't received any messages from C.J. since his last call. Not that he had been concerned about that because she had been busy after class before, and he'd see here there later.

He pulled up eventually in front of his friends' house and after parking, got his daughter out of the car with her bag of things and walked up to the house. Dan smiled as he opened the door and he went inside. Rhonda plucked Gracie out of his arms before long and settled on the sofa with her, obviously getting some time in before her own baby was born.

Matt headed back to the barbecue where Carlos and Fran were sitting with the twins who were playing with some toys on the patio. Fran looked up at him.

"Hard day at work," she asked.

Matt smiled.

"Actually, I spent most of the time at my desk or on the floor with Gracie."

"Ah…she's certainly going to keep you on your toes," Fran said, "And you being a former Casanova, you've got plenty of time to prepare for her teenage years."

Matt smiled ruefully because he knew that was the truth. He could easily see him facing against his younger, more incorrigible self in the form of some boy interested in dating his daughter. C.J. teased him about it often enough, but in an affectionate way. Still, he was working on a checklist for any prospective boyfriend to fill out before even being allowed near Gracie. At least he still had some more years to pass before he had to finalize it and put it into use.

"Matt, C.J.'s coming right?"

He nodded.

"She's teaching at the university and she might be staying after to help some of her students, but she should be on her way by now."

"That's cool…haven't seen her in a while..."

Matt grabbed a beer and sat in the waning sunlight. March had been unseasonably warm not that he was complaining. It had allowed him to take Gracie to the park and the zoo during slow afternoons and he enjoyed it as much as she did.

"She's been busy consulting and teaching," he said.

Fran smiled.

"And getting ready to have another kid," she said, "It didn't take you both long."

No it hadn't, because after C.J. decided she had been ready to go for a second child, she had gotten pregnant soon enough with his help of course.

Chris came out.

"I need someone to help me with the vegetables."

Matt volunteered his services and walked back inside the house.

* * *

C.J. looked over at Trina still sitting there with the knife though not sure what to do next. She had listened to what C.J. had told her including about how she had killed Piser to get away. Not the only life she had taken during that ordeal but she had learned there was nothing wrong with wanting to live.

"Trina, I can find women who will help you," she said, "If you want…there's this woman crisis center that my husband started that does great work helping women and children."

Trina shook her head.

"No one can help me," she said, "My boyfriend…I thought he was…he told me if I didn't do what he wanted, I didn't love him and when that didn't work, he threatened me and so I let them fuck me."

"If they threatened you or he did, it's rape Trina."

The girl shrugged.

"No, I'm just a slut, that's how everyone would see it. Like I wanted it, I didn't even know Kevin got paid at first for what he made me do."

C.J. sighed.

"I know…the man who kidnapped me sold me to another trafficker…and I didn't know at first what he did. I felt like I wasn't me for a long time after…that I was just this thing that could be used that way. But I had people who loved me, friends and a very special man who never let me see myself any differently than who I am."

"I don't have anyone," Trina said, "Just Kevin…I thought that I didn't need anyone else if he loved me…now I'm alone…"

"No family?"

She shook her head and made a face.

"My parents didn't want me, my father doesn't even know me at all. If I went back to my mother, she'd kick me out."

C.J. considered that, knowing it must have been a difficult time for Trina even before she met up with Kevin.

"Okay…then we can find some other place for you to stay…if you put the knife down."

Trina shook her head.

"I can't…it's all I have left."

C.J. felt a wave of emotion jolt through her because she remembered the night she had stood there with the letter opener after she'd stabbed Piser, she'd reached for it without hesitation from her hiding place. Because all she wanted to do was escape or die trying, anything was better than her prison.

"No…give it to me and I'll call a woman who helped me when I needed support," she said, "She's a counselor and a damn good one."

Diane had really been instrumental in C.J. finding her own way back to her life and reclaiming it as a survivor not a victim.

Trina appeared to consider it, and C.J. knew a large part of her wanted to believe that she could make it through her nightmare to the other side but…another part of her served to protect her and couldn't give that up.

"I'm just going to call Diane…you'll really like her…she'll talk to you, she'll come down here and sit with you and listen. We'll both listen."

Trina just nodded, her eyes brimming with tears and the knife became loose in her hand and then clattered on the floor beside her. She sunk her face in her arms and C.J. approached her then and put her arms around her, pulling her close.

The two of them both sat in the classroom with Trina crying in C.J.'s embrace and C.J. not fighting her own tears.

Elena breezed into the living room and sat on the couch with Butterfly who had been filming everyone telling them to act natural. She had been working on her class project for her media class as part of her senior year in high school. She'd be taking off to UCLA in the fall and Elena had been thinking about transferring there as well to continue her own studies.

"I've got to get all my film and then start the editing," Butterfly said, "and then Staci, my project partner and I are going to meet tomorrow to set up some more interviews."

Butterfly was all business when it came to her film making but she had also been spending a lot of time with Daniel who she treated like her little brother.

"That sounds good," Elena said, "I'll talk to some of the volunteers at the Center and see if they're willing to help you."

Butterfly nodded.

"That'll be cool…"

Matt had checked his phone but still C.J. hadn't called and she hadn't arrived yet. Not really like her but he had finished the vegetables and Rhonda had brought Gracie in with her to help her with the bread.

Rhonda looked over at Matt reading his mind.

"She'll be here Matt…she's just running late and there's traffic."

Matt knew that and he had confidence that C.J. could handle herself in any situation anyway. She just had gone through so much like he had the previous Thanksgiving and she hadn't really talked about it until they had gotten away on a rare weekend alone at their favorite hamlet on the coast. They'd gone there to relax, toss the birth control and just let nature take its course but she had been a little on edge until he cornered her and she admitted that the awareness of danger in their lives and the impact it might have on their children scared her. She tried to put her fears outside of her mind but it had been difficult.

Matt had confessed his own fears and they talked about it together as they held onto each other in bed listening to the wind howling outside and she had realized that they had to just seize every moment together and make the most of it. And just hold onto each other and their family tightly.

After that, they had made love and sometime during that weekend had likely conceived their second child. It had been a pivotal moment in their relationship and their marriage that had strengthened both of them.

It wasn't one he would ever forget.

* * *

C.J. sat with Diane as she left Trina who sat there looking less alone with herself.

"How's she doing," she asked the counselor.

Diane smiled at her.

"She's doing as well as she can considering her experience. Thanks for calling me…I've got a woman who'll take her in until there's shelter space available and we'll get her a TRO against this Kevin."

"Did you call the police?"

Diane shook her head.

"Not yet…I want her to feel like it's worthwhile before taking that step. One step at a time…"

C.J. nodded, remembering her own experiences including her arduous time being counseled by Diane. She still met with her to talk about issues that she faced even now and she knew that she would be able to help Trina. She looked at the clock.

"I got to call Houston…I'm supposed to be at some friends for dinner."

Diane nodded.

"You should go…don't keep him waiting…I'll handle things here."

C.J. went to Trina and rubbed her shoulder and the girl looked up and smiled softly at her.

"Thanks teach…"

"Anytime…and you can call me if you want, okay?"

Trina nodded and C.J. left the classroom to head back to Matt, wanting so much to see him right now.


	4. Chapter 4

C.J. finally left the university and headed to her car to drive to Chris and Dan's even though she probably had missed part of the party. The traffic had become lighter so soon enough she pulled up in front of the house and went to the front door. Butterfly had seen her through the window and had opened it up before C.J. even had to ring the doorbell. Then she wrapped her up in a tight embrace, telling her she had only missed the boring parts, that there was plenty of food.

After releasing her, the teenager asked.

"Did you hit a lot of traffic or something?"

C.J. sighed.

"Something came up after my class but everything's fine now."

Butterfly looked at her puzzled, her curly hair around her shoulders. So much more grown up than when C.J. had first seen her a few years ago…and she knew her sister who died protecting her would be so proud.

Chris met her on the way to the back patio.

"You finally made it here…"

C.J. thought of her daughter.

"How's…"

Chris smiled.

"Gracie's having a great time out there with Daniel and the twins…she's keeping up with them very well."

C.J. felt relieved, even though she knew her daughter would be in good hands…she had just missed her.

"Matt's waiting for you on the patio…making sure that you get plenty of food for you and your little one to be."

"I am famished…what about you…I mean you've been running around all day I'm sure."

Chris sighed.

"Dan filled my plate twice already…but the food turned out great…come on…"

C.J. followed her out past the St. Patrick's Day décor inside and out on the patio. Her eyes found Matt immediately and she watched his eyes light up as he rose to come and meet her.

"I'm sorry I'm late…I'll tell you later."

He nodded as he kissed her softly on the mouth and then took her hand, gesturing towards the buffet table.

"Come on, let's get mama her food okay?"

She smiled watching him help her fill her plate by saying that she needed to try this dish…and that one until she finally held up her hand chuckling.

"I've got to save some space for dessert."

They both went over to the patio where he had been sitting to sit down and eat marveling in how great it felt to be celebrating such a fine holiday with their loved ones.

Later that night, they lay together in their bed, his arms wrapped around her where they belonged. Gracie had gone down very quickly exhausted from the party and they had poured some nonalcoholic wine and sat on the back porch of their ranch house. She loved their spread, the generous vegetable and herbal garden near the house, the barn that sheltered their horses and some other critters.

She had told him what had happened and he had sighed, feeling fear hit him at the situation his wife had to dealt with but trusting in her ability to handle it as she did. He still had to deal with dangerous situations in his line of work but he kept them to a minimum because being a husband and father meant being around for family. He didn't travel as much after Gracie's birth because he missed her too much. And as their family kept growing, he knew he and C.J. would find their way through the twists and turns that parenthood brought daily.

He watched her as she sat on the porch and gazed out into the darkness, in silence. That was her way of processing what happened to her, so he knew to just sit back and let her do that.

Until she was ready to allow him back in…and then he had wrapped his arms around her as they sat on their porch, his warmth around her. Then they'd started kissing and one thing led to another…until hand in hand they walked back inside to finish in the bedroom.

They held onto each other afterward, as they always did, as their bodies came back down from the heights they had reached together.

"Wow, you are really something Mrs. Houston," he murmured.

She nestled even closer to him.

"So are you Mr. Houston…you know we'd better make the most of this because when our baby's born, it's going to be pretty chaotic again."

He smiled.

"Gracie's going to get a little brother or sister…something neither of us had while growing up."

She sighed.

"Yeah I know…I'm glad."

So was Matt and he whispered that in her ear as they both settled in for the night. Life would always be there to throw challenges in their path but they'd continue to do as they have done and face them together.


End file.
